A Turn For the Worse
by The.anti.Kira36
Summary: Shen kidnaps Po and has a wicked plot in store for our hero. Will the Five be able to rescue him in time? What once started off as a one-shot has now taken on a life of its own. Rated T just to be safe.Possible Po/Tigress pairing in later chapters. r&r :
1. Prologue

_**A/N**_**: **_wowie gee first fanfic ever! o.O I'm a little nervous about how yal people are going to like this, but oh well I disliked Shen's death and couldn't stand the way the movie killed him off, so here is how I wished the movie would've gone (jk I just wanted to write an angsty Po and Shen story =]) So anywho I hope yal enjoy! Constructive criticism and reviews are loved _

_XOXOXO_

_-Dani_

Alternate Ending: Lord Shen vs. the Zen Ball Master

Po looked at the destruction before him; his friends, mentor, and idols strewn about like worthless heaps of trash floating and broken in the dark waters. Shen's ships were making their way into the harbor, their ominous yet majestic sails seemed to only further add to the reminder of Po's defeat.

Po's eyes then caught the sight of the still form of Tigress. Gathering what little strength he had left, Po maneuvered himself over to her. Po swam up close enough so that she could hear his strained whisper. "Tigress." Said warrior gave Po a weak look and only replied with four shaky breaths, each seeming more pained than the last, before hiding her head in her arms. Po's heart broke at the sight of his friend who he had considered 'so hard core that she couldn't feel anything' so spent and vulnerable.

At that moment, Po glanced up to see Shen smirking wickedly at the scene playing out before him. Po felt a new found hatred serge within him one that could outdo even the once feared Tai Lung's. He glared at Shen with as much malice as he could possibly muster but tore his gaze away when he heard another shaky breath let out by Tigress. Po looked down at her sadly before lightly pushing her away from anymore danger. Tigress struggled to look up and reach out her paw at Po's retreating form.

Shen gave a victorious laugh as he watched the panda climb onto a rock that stuck out and disrupted the flow of the water. Staring at Po intently, Shen waited calmly for the panda to make his move against him. Surely the famous Dragon Warrior wasn't giving up just like that. Displeasure flooded through Shen as his enemy closed his eyes in a sign of defeat. Shen sighed. "As you wish." He then ushered to his men. "Let's finish this."_How disappointing._

Po heard the order but for some reason did not feel alarmed. A new found calm took hold of his body and he moved his hands and feet based on where instinct told him they needed to go. Shifu gasped when he saw his student do this. _He couldn't possibly be doing what I think he's doing… Could he?_ But when Shifu saw Po open his eyes there was no doubt about it. Shen also witnessed as the panda opened his eyes and was taken aback by the serenity they held. Regaining his composure quickly, Shen gave another wicked grin and barked a single order to his men."Fire."

Time seemed to slow down for Po as he watched the cannonball hurtling towards him. _Inner peace._ He chanted within himself, closing his eyes and imagining the cannonball as a single raindrop. He opened his eyes, a new found fire in them and acting basely on instinct, grabbed the cannonball and flung it over his shoulder. Everyone stared at Po with a mixture of awe and wonder or in Shen's case horror. Again renewing his composer the bird gave Po a vicious glare and before barking out, "Again."

Cannonball after cannonball hurtled at Po and cannonball after cannonball the panda evaded with ease. Two more shots were fired at him and he dodged them easily, laughing as he did so. Never before in his life had Po felt so, well, awesome! Even his fight with Tai Lung could compare to how incredible he felt right now, and he wasn't about to pass up this chance to flaunt this fact in the face of his enemies.

"Kill him! Somebody kill him!" Lord Shen screeched, his fear rising with each cannon fire the panda managed to deflect. Shen quickly began to realize that the panda was taking out his ships, and the look on his face told him that his was next. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. Jerking his head down to look at the gorilla who was about to light another cannon and cost them both their lives, Shen shot two knives at the big oaf and quickly turned the cannon around about ninety degrees away from the panda. Po looked up at Shen in confusion but then it quickly turned into horror when he saw where exactly he was aiming at. Tigress!

"Maybe you can block my attacks, panda. But she can't." Shen smiled evilly and lit the fuse. Po and the rest of the five ran as fast as they could towards her, but the cannonball was shooting out towards the injured Tiger faster than any of them could blink. Po let out a strangled cry as his friends made it to Tigress just in time for the cannonball to hit its mark.

"NO!" Po yelled and ran towards the smoke filled area where his friends had been. "Guys? Guys! Monkey? Crane? Viper? Mantis? Tigress?" Po yelled between chokes as the smoke filled his airways. He choked back a sob as the smoke began to clear and the furious five lay broken and barely alive before him. "Guys?" He said hoarsely when none moved. He nearly cried in relief when Tigress' eyes cracked open and the rest of the five began to twitch to life.

"Po. Shen is…Shen is getting away. You must s-stop him before…" Tigress grunted and clutched her side which was sticky with blood. Po looked at the blood in horror. This was his fault. He had gotten too cocky. If only he had take out the ships sooner. He fell down on his knees and held back the tears that threatened to escape. Po was still kneeling there sorrowfully when he felt a warm paw grab his arm. He opened his eyes in surprise to see Tigress looking into his eyes with reassurance. "This isn't your fault." She said struggling to not stutter from the pain and keep a brave face on for Po. Po felt a tear fall onto his cheek and he quickly wiped it away and nodded. "Tigress I…" Po never got to finish the thought however because two knives were flung into his back.

"Po no!" Tigress yelled as the panda began to lose consciousness. The last thing he heard before his world went black was the wicked laugh of Lord Shen and the sound of cannon fire hurtling towards them.

_**A/N:**__ Uhh yeah don't ask lol I just prefer it when evil wins especially when that evil person(peacock) is Lord Shen. :D. tehe. I'm still debating whether or not to continue this or just leave it a one shot. Hmm tell me what yal think? Remember my muse and I love reviews _


	2. Chapter One: Rude Awakenings

_**A/N: **__Wow guys thank you so much for the reviews! Yal are awesome! :D So before I start ranting about how awesome yal are, here it is what yal have been asking for, the continuation of this story, which is now going to be several chapters which I'll __try__ to update as frequently as possible. A special thanks to _Any Unborn Child _for your beautiful review and helping me figure out which direction I should take this story! You rock! C: Okay so anywho I'm going to make this the first chapter since the one before seems more like a prologue to me more than an actual chapter. So here goes I hope yal enjoy and continue to send reviews C:_

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

_-Dani_

Chapter One: Rude Awakenings

Po was never much of a morning person. Sure he should be used to it by now having to wake up early every morning to help around the noodle shop, or more recently, to meditate with Master Shifu, but unless there was a frustrated Tigress pounding down his door, it took his mind a good couple of minutes to register what was going on. So when he awoke his mind didn't completely register the chains that held him suspended in the air, the odd taste of smoke and copper in his mouth or the fact that his surroundings would sway as though they were floating in water.

He did however register the fact that he was starving. Po looked at his grumbling tummy and then examined the rest of the room. There on the table glowing like an almighty Buddha (1) was a bowl full of dumplings plump and ready for eating. Po jerked forward, completely forgetting about the chains that held him back. _Darn it._ Po thought pulling his arm in hopes that he could at least break one of the chains. No luck. Po squinched up his nose and examined the chains more carefully; solid iron about an inch and a half in diameter. Whoever had captured him really wasn't messing around. Still, Po struggled with the bonds, his stomach out weighing his rational thought which told him to relax and start thinking of a way out of here. He had little time for that however because as soon as he stopped struggling, the door to the room opened up.

"Ah, good morning to you panda. How are you enjoying your accommodations?" The speaker was still hidden in the shadows, but Po knew that arrogant voice anywhere and felt an uncharacteristic growl build up in his throat.

"Shen."

"Oh good no brain damage I see. It would be most unfortunate if that little hit on the head gave you amnesia." Shen chuckled twirling a knife between his feathers.

"Enough small talk, Shen." Po barked, once again pulling at his restraints. "Where am I? What have you done to the other masters?" He glared at the figure in the shadows when he gave a chuckle.

"I don't think you are really in a position to demand anything panda." Shen spat out the last word and made his way to the dimly lit area. "But seeing how I am feeling in such a generous mood today I suppose I'll tell you." He grinned wickedly at the look of hope that flashed upon the panda's face. He looked forward to crushing that hope and the panda begging him for death's sweet release. "You are on my ship which is now on its way to the Valley of Peace. There, in front of the gates of the Jade Palace, which is being pillaged and torn down as we speak mind you, you shall be executed in front of everyone. Once China sees their beloved Dragon Warrior dead and the birthplace of kung fu destroyed (2), they shall surely bow down at my feet."

"You're insane." Was all Po managed, pulling at his chains again really wanting to pummel the cocky bird. "What about the five? And the other masters? What have you done to them?"

"All dead." Shen chuckled when the look of despair crossed the panda's face. "It was actually quite a touching scene really. Just as the cannonball was about to hit you six pathetic looking 'masters' as you like to call yourselves, that small one jumped in front and took the hit himself. The other five ran to the puny bear's side and it only took one more shot to finish them all off." Shen finished and looked up at the panda whose eyes were narrowed in rage and fists clenched and ready to pound the peacock to a bloody pulp. Said peacock laughed openly again. The story had been a lie of course, but anyway that he could cause the panda pain he would not hesitate to use. Backing away from the panda, Shen peered over his shoulder at the two wolves that had just entered the room.

"General Lang (3)." Shen called to the wolf Po recognized with the eye patch. "See to it that our guest is…well taken care of." With that the wolf chuckled and cracked his knuckles while Shen stepped past him heading towards the door. He stopped and looked back before the wolf could give the panda a good sock in the stomach. "Oh and general?" The wolf turned his fist still lifted in mid-punch. "Next time you disobey orders, I won't hesitate to aim a little bit higher." With that ominous warning still lingering in the air, the peacock was gone.

Tigress could not remember a time where she had been in as much pain as was now. Everything hurt and not just hurt like a bruise or a cut did, but a scorching pain every time she moved her body. She groaned and sat up, taking in her surrounding as she did so. She was in a small hut like structure and the rest of her team were there too and resting on mats; Master Croc and Master Ox diligently tending to their wounds.

Master Croc noticed Tigress and nodded at her in acknowledgment. "Master Shifu would like to speak with you… if you are able." He finished and went back to bandaging Crane's broken wing.

Tigress nodded and stood up shakily, focusing her hardest on not limping. Once she found herself outside the hut she looked around. They were in some sort of village long since destroyed, buildings were burned down to the foundation and the grass grew long and shaggy obviously in need of a cutting long since overdo. The tiger noticed Shifu and the old soothsayer from Gongmen City talking lowly under one of the trees. She stepped back not really wanting to interrupt their conversation but one of Shifu's ears twitched in Tigress' direction and he quickly jerked his head towards his student, their conversation ceasing immediately.

"Tigress." Shifu said and bowed. "I am most pleased to see you up and walking about."

Tigress returned the bow to her teacher with a low grunt. "Master." Tigress began, rising to look up at Shifu. "What happened back there? Did Shen get away?" She stopped when a sudden realization hit her like a bucket of ice. "And where's Po?"

Shifu folded his arms across his chest and gave Tigress a look she knew too well; it was the strong façade Shifu put up when something horrible has happened. "Unfortunately, my student, none of the answers to those questions will give you any form of relief. As for what happened, that is the only piece of good news I can offer you. Shen fired another shot at you before I had any time to react. Luckily it missed and you all only suffered mild damage from the debris that ricocheted from the shot and I was knocked unconscious by a piece of timber that was hit. The soothsayer here found us and she and the other masters have been helping us to get back on our feet and to try to stop Shen once and for all." Shifu paused and looked as if he were trying to figure out how to answer her last question. "As for Po… we believe that Shen has taken him prisoner upon his vessel and I fear he is planning something horrible for the Dragon Warrior."

Tigress clenched her fist at the cowardice of the peacock. To take a prisoner while they were unconscious was even more spineless than when he shot at the bridge filled with the cities villagers. Tigress' blood was on the brink of boiling, but she quietly closed her eyes and exhaled before returning her gaze to Shifu. "Then we have no time to waste, Master. Who knows what Shen could be planning for Po? We need to break him out now."

"I agree, Tigress, but we are in no shape to try to take them on right now. We have to wait for the rest of the Five to-"

"That's not good enough!" Tigress cut in, surprising herself by losing her cool. Embarrassed by the look of surprise on Shifu's face, she was about to ask for forgiveness and walk back to the huts when a hoof (4) caught hold of her arm. Tigress looked down in shock to see it was the soothsayer who had been silent up until now looking up at her with a reassuring smile. "I know things seem bleak now, child, but do not worry. The panda's future has not changed which means he will get out of this one okay and Shen will be stopped. Do not fear for your friend." The soothsayer spoke with such calmness that Tigress couldn't help feel relaxed and a new spark of hope surged through her. Still, destiny or not, Tigress was not about to let her friend face this alone.

_**A/N:**__ Tada! :D First chappie is done!I really liked writing this one cause the complexity of each character is brilliant in the movie and I hope I did a adequate job at catching their personalities. What did yal think? R&R pwease? C: _

I don't know what possessed to write 'like an almighty Buddha' lolololol

I don't know if the Jade Palace is really the birthplace for Kung Fu, but for the sake of this story let's pretend it is C:

Tehe remember this guy? Since he was never given a name I'm naming him Lang which apparently, if Google is telling me correctly, means wolf

I'm not sure to refer to these as hands/hooves/paws? lol


	3. Chapter two: The Storm Approaches

_**A/N: **__Hey guys! x) Sorry for the slower update on this one... I was out on vacation so I didn't have a chance to write anything. Hope I didn't keep an of yal waiting. Anywho thank yal for the lovely reviews so far! They all made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside c: _

_Shadowmaster2323: Thank you so much! :D_

_newboy: Thank you for your review and I was thinking somewhere along those lines though I want to hold that off until maybe the next chapter so the rest of the five are healed some more._

_crazy jaky: Well your wait is over! c: I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for the review! _

_Domenic: Believe it or not when I got your review I was in the middle of doing my two-sided Star Wars puzzle x). What a coinky dink.&& Yeah the Soothsayer's hoof/hand things throw me off at times and sorry 'bout the paws thing I had an inner blonde moment haha. And yeah I liked the Wolf Boss (did this website say anything about Shen 'cause I'm still hoping he ducked out of the way last moment or something lol). Anywho thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy this chapter c:_

_anonymous: Though you're not reading this, you should've probably read the next chapter before jumping to that conclusion -_-_

_Black Demon Cat: I agree completely. Shen just never struck me as the 'at peace with death' sort of guy xP. But I wouldn't say Shen's was worse than Tai Lung's because the battle before Tai Lung died was all about the humor and when Shen 'died' the battle before was kind of badass. _

Chapter Two: The Storm Approaches

-Shen-

The ships glided silently across the dark waters. Although it was the middle of the afternoon the sky was a shadowy gray as sinister looking clouds quickly took up residence there. _The dogs are anxious._ Shen mused watching them from the where he stood at the quarter deck. Of course none were voicing their concerns openly in fear of Shen's wrath, but their faces said quite enough to the overload-to-be. He chuckled as one's tail ducked between his legs when the loud roar of thunder was heard.

"Lower the sails, dogs." Shen ordered sharply before folding his arms and returning back to his elegant stance. The wolves looked at each other warily before doing as the peacock commanded knowing exactly what it was he has hidden beneath the long sleeves of his silk robe. Shen watched with feigned impatience as the wolves scrambled to do as ordered, but truly he was trying not to wince in pain. He had been up on his feet all night and it was beginning to take his toll on him. Barking more orders, he turned and headed towards his cabin.

Once safely inside he collapsed onto the small bunk in the corner. He only allowed himself the luxury of rest for a few moments before he sat up and began to remove the metal talons from his own aching ones underneath. He winced as the talons clanged on the floor and the burn scars on his feet revealed themselves. They looked worse than the last time he saw them and Shen tried not to wince as his feathers ghosted over them. He had gotten the scars at the age of twenty-two when he had first started experimenting with the fireworks. He growled at the memory that allowed so much more to flow in after it. His parents truly were fools for not seeing the true potential his weapons had. Shen shook his head as if to literally shake off the thought. Never mind his fool parents now. Besides they had done so much more for him than they could have ever realized. Without their betrayal he probably would never have seized the opportunity to become supreme ruler of China. The thought brought a familiar smirk to his face and he quickly replaced the metal talons. _Well, father, I hope you're proud. _He thought bitterly as another clap of thunder sounded in the background.

-Furious Five-

Crane was the fourth of the five to jolt awake. He blinked his eyes immediately taking in the wicker ceiling above him. He turned his head and was greeted by the warm smile of Viper.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead. You've been asleep for about eighteen hours now." She informed him and pointed her head to the sleeping form in the cot next to hers. "Monkey's still asleep, but Tigress and Mantis are outside if you feel you are well enough to join them."

Crane nodded, but alarm bells quickly went off in his head. "What about Master Shifu and Po?"

Crane noted that Viper hesitated before answering. "Master is talking with the Soothsayer, you remember the lady from Gongmen City, about our next course of action. Also Master Ox and Croc are around here somewhere; probably with Shifu and the Soothsayer as well." This raised a few more questions for Crane, but he held his tongue seeing how Viper looked like she was struggling to continue. "And Po… I don't know. Tigress refuses to talk about him, but I have a feeling he's in a lot of danger… or worse. I think it has something to do with Shen-"

"That's correct." Tigress cut in surprising the two who had not heard her enter the hut followed swiftly by Mantis. "And I'm not about to waste anymore unnecessary time for that _peacock_ to do whatever it is he plans with Po." She gave them both a meaningful look. "Are you with me?"

Viper gave an affirmative nod, but Crane wasn't so enthusiastic to answer. Tigress looked at him directly then and repeated, "Are you with me?" Crane hesitated. They weren't in anyway ready to take on an army of wolves and Shen's weapons. Besides, this appeared to be another one of Tigress' covert missions which meant Master Shifu, Ox and Croc weren't there to back them up on this one. He sighed and closed his eyes in concentration. "We should wait for Monkey to-"

"I'm up." They all turned as Monkey struggled to sit up. "Where will they be?"

"I overheard Shifu and the Soothsayer. Shen's heading for the Jade Palace. By now they should be near the coast of Hainan. If we make it there we should be able to intercept them in time." Tigress answered the composer in her voice making the task seem less impossible.

Crane however didn't look so convinced, but he nodded anyway and went to help nudge Monkey up on his feet. "Alright… When do we head out?"

"Tonight."

_**A/N:**__Dun duh duhhhhh! Cliffy thing…sort of haha . Sorry this one is shorter than the other ones.. it's just hard get into what your writing when your sister is blasting Spongebob in the next room xD. But yerp hope yal enjoyed and don't forget to R&R!_


	4. Chapter Three: Harsh Realities

_**A/N: **__Okay so a couple of yal probably realized I changed the title of this story. I don't know the original title was made for what I planned to be a one-shot so it just didn't seem relevant to the story anymore. So yup I hope I didn't confuse anybody x). Anywho… I don't have much to say here actually xD so I guess read and review lovies :D!_

_crazy jaky: Thanks again for the review x) And ikr! It was trying hard not to pull my hair out xD.. Well then, I don't think you're going to be disappointed with this chapter. hehe_

_newboy: lol Nah that's okay I like your rambling they make me happy and wanting to keep writing x) I totally agree Shen is waaaay more evil than Tai Lung, though Tai Lung wins in the strength category. I don't know if the Five heard either, but I will address that in this chapter so yerp lol. Thanks again for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter :D_

_XOXOXO_

_-Dani_

Chapter Three: Harsh Realities

-Po-

Po groaned as he once again opened his eyes to the dimly lit room and the familiar feeling of pain searing through his body. The wolves must've beaten him unconscious; he realized flinching at the memory as being used as a living punching bag. _Man when I get out of here that wolf will have something coming to him._ He thought and squirmed around in his restraints a bit and sighed when they didn't as much as creak from the stress. _That is if I ever get out of here._ Then an idea popped into Po's head. If he could deflect cannonballs hurtling towards him at about a hundred miles per hour by imagining they were merely a raindrop, then why shouldn't he be able to break the chains if he imagined they were say, his stomach growled, noodles? His shoulders shrugged slightly. "It's worth a shot."

He took a deep breath. _Inner peace._ He chanted inside himself. Even though he was restrained and could not move his hands and feet accordingly, he felt peace wash over him like a tide. _Inner peace you're going down,_ came a familiar thought. When had he said that? Oh right it was when he first saw this technique done by Master Shi-

Po's eyes snapped open the feeling of peace was quickly replaced with anguish as Shen's words pierced through his mind. "All dead." Po whispered, the words sounding too surreal, too impossible. There was no way they were dead. They could survive anything… but then again Master Thundering Rhino was once believed be indestructible, too. Po hung his head and suppressed a sob. Was Shen really determined to take everything from him?

Familiar images of his past flashed through his head as the Soothsayer's gentle words replayed in his mind. Out of all his memories though, the memory of Tigress' comforting embrace repeated over and over and Po finally let out the tears he had suppressed for so long.

-Furious Five-

Several hundred miles away from the mourning panda, the Furious Five were preparing for their mission ahead. Viper was applying ointment to Crane's damaged wing and Mantis was hoping to ease some of Monkey's pain by using acupuncture. Tigress was anxiously pacing back and forth, watching the sky darken with every passing moment they wasted. Nightfall was approaching quickly, and if they had any hope of intercepting Shen on time they had to leave as soon as possible.

"There you are, Crane." Viper said after applying a few bandages to his wing and leg. "You should be alright for a couple of days, but we should bring the medicine pouch with us just in case."

Crane nodded and slipped the strap over his head so it hung loosely around his neck. Mantis was also finishing up healing Monkey, and Tigress began to feel relieved that they could finally start their departure.

Said relief flooded out the door when at that moment the Soothsayer decided to step into the hut.

Tigress growled in frustration. "May we help you?" She asked, barely managing to keep the growing annoyance out of her voice.

"You are planning on rescuing your friend." The Soothsayer stated simply.

The Five eyed each other warily, but it was Crane who spoke first. "You're pretty good at that."

The Soothsayer chuckled lightly before sitting down on one of the cots. "I think it's about time you know the truth about your friend's past."

Unable to hold back her annoyance, Tigress snapped out quickly, "Look we really don't have time for this. Shen already has a several hundred mile head start and we need to-"

She was silenced by a quick whack on the head from the Soothsayer's cane. Crane and Viper looked at each other in shock, while Monkey and Mantis watched quietly with wide eyes expecting Tigress to strike back at the old goat. "Patience, child." The Soothsayer soothed. "There is a storm coming that will give Shen no choice but to delay his plan for at least a few days. Besides this isn't a long story, and I feel you need to hear what exactly it is you are going up against." The Five waited in silence as the Soothsayer took a deep breath and began to speak.

"This was once a thriving village…"

_**A/N:**__ Whoop! Chapter done!... Though I'm not too sure if I honestly like the turn out of this chapter, but I don't know how I could've made this any better… Oh well.. As usual read and review love! :D_


	5. Chapter Four: All Illuminated

_**A/N: **__Sorry this is late; my laptop was abducted x) hope yal enjoy this chapter though&& don't forget to R&R! :D_

_newboy: Thank you for reviewing again :D ! I'm glad you mentioned the length of the chapters; I am planning on making them much longer now because I thought I could write shorter chapters and update everyday, but it appears that doesn't seem to be working out for me so yeahhh x). Well here is the next chapter. I hope the Five's reactions don't disappoint !_

_FFcrazy15: Haha thanks for the comment and it's all good ! x)_

_crazy jaky: Oh no! *quickly picks up scattered pieces of your head and pulls out a roll of duct tape* Well here's the new chappie so please try to keep your head on your shoulders x) And thanks for the review 3333_

_YinYang2000: Thank you so much and thanks for reviewing :D_

Chapter Four: All Illuminated

-Furious Five-

Never before had the Five's name been so fitting up until now. The Furious Five.

As the old Soothsayer retold Po's tale, the Five were seething, each experiencing their own fits of rage.

Monkey and Mantis were trying to keep their composure, only allowing themselves to clench their fists and a scowl to grace their features every so often. Unlike the rest of the Five, they weren't fixated on their rage and although they were angry, pity for their friend outweighed their hatred for the evil peacock. But all in all, the two remained relevantly calm. They had both listened to and even experienced a few sad stories before and forced themselves to think of this as another one, for all those stories happened to total strangers and not their bumbling buddy Po.

Viper, however, was not holding in her emotions as well as the two. Her eyes were welling up with tears of rage at the thought of Po, happy, loveable Po, witnessing such a horrific thing as a young infant. The unwanted memory of the first time she had seen her father kill a garden mouse invaded her mind. She was just a few days old and was curious how her family managed to have full bellies while she remained hungry. She asked her father to show her how they all found their food and he smiled down at her and told her to follow him. They had ended up by a mouse's burrowing hole and when Viper had asked why they were there, her father quickly hushed her up and told her she would scare away the food. Sure enough an unexpecting mouse surfaced from the ground and was in the middle of stretching his tiny arms when her father snatched him up. The frightened thing had begged and pleaded with her father to spare his life but was quickly silenced by a blood-curdling snap. Viper was commanded to swallow a small portion of the mouse her father tore off for her and quickly did so only to heave it back up as soon as her father's back was turned.

Viper was suddenly snapped back into the present when Crane wrapped a shaky wing around her. She looked up at her friend and could see he was not doing much better than she was. Crane's whole body was shaking. The Soothsayer had just finished speaking and he felt like he was going to be sick. Sure he had heard sad stories before and death was a regular part of the job, but never had their mission been as personal as this one had just become. He looked down at Viper whose eyes shone with tears. Crane steadied his wing and tightened it around her. He was angry, no he was enraged, but he would hold it in for now, save it for the battle field. Besides he had to be strong for Viper's sake.

Tigress was surprisingly the most unresponsive of the Five. There was no emotion in her golden orbs. No rage. No pity. Nothing besides what appeared to be concentration from the slight furrow of her brow. If her fists hadn't been clenched it would have seemed she did not seem to care about the horrible story that had just been told in the slightest. Inside however was a different story as a hurricane of fury took a hold of her. _That peacock is going to die._ She thought bitterly and hardened her gaze when the old goat glanced her way.

Tigress cleared her throat which caused everyone in the room to look her way. "As informative as that was, we still have a friend to rescue." Turning on her heal she could only imagine the shocked expressions on her team's face at her total lack of response.

The Soothsayer shook her head sadly knowing all too well what locked up rage could do to a person. "I hope you're mission goes well." She said curtly to the other Five who nodded and quickly followed after their retreating leader.

-On Shen's Ships-

Things were not looking good for Shen. The sky was looking more and more threatening and he already had to kill three wolves who had dared to question his authority by insisting they steer the ship to shore until the storm passed.

Shen rubbed his temples and groaned. They were right, he knew that, but he wasn't quite willing to delay his well thought out plan for bad weather. He thought over his options. If they continued the way they were now, they would get caught up in the storm and the sea would most likely lead half of his ships and crew to a watery grave and maybe even more with them carrying such heavy artillery. On the other hand, delaying his plan would keep them alive yes, but it could also lead to more chances for Po to escape, and even though Shen was pretty sure the chains would hold him, the panda did have a knack for miraculously getting out of sticky situations.

Another clap of thunder in the distance was the only answer Shen needed.

Groaning again, Shen stood tall as he yelled, "We will wait by the shore until the storm passes." The wolves looked like they were about 'whoop' for joy and quickly turned the ships towards land as the ominous clouds inched closer.

Down below, Po's body swayed as the ship made a sharp turn to the right. He had stopped crying awhile ago but was now left feeling hollow.

The door to the small room opened and Po looked up thinking it was the Wolf Boss here to give him another beating. He was surprised and furious to see it was in fact Shen who had a satisfied smirk on his face.

"I came down here to tell you we will be resting for a few days and to not try anything funny," His smirk grew wider as he looked at Po more closely. "But by the looks of things, I'd say you don't much fight in you left. Such a shame."

Po growled a small spark reigniting. "Unchain me and we'll see who doesn't have much fight left in them, Shen."

Shen chuckled. "Ah, so you're not completely broken yet. Good. And here I thought you were going to make this boring." Shen brought up his metals talons and inspected them like they were the most interesting thing in the world at that moment.

Po wrinkled his nose at the peacock. "You really are pathetic, Shen, you know that? Your parents were right to kick you out of Gongmen City. Someone as twisted and cowardly as you is not couldn't even be trusted to rule over a pile of bricks. You're-"

Po was cut off by sharps talons digging into his left cheek. He let out a cry and jerked his head making it so the metal claws narrowly missed his eye.

Shen straightened up and narrowed his eyes at the panda. "That was a warning. I expect next time I come down here you will treat me with more respect." He spat and turned leaving the panda with a stinging face and sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

-Back at the Village-

A large figure stood in the shadows watching the group of warriors. They looked troubled and they talked quietly among themselves before the five sprinted away from the abandoned village.

The figure waited a few moments before emerging from the shadows and heading to where he knew a familiar goat would be waiting for him. He wasn't disappointed when he was met by the friendly Soothsayer.

"It's been a long time." She said her lips pulling upwards into a small smile. "Unfortunately this isn't going to be the happy reunion I thought it'd be."

The creature sighed and nodded in understanding. "Is he okay?"

The Soothsayer's smile broadened. "He will be fine; he has a quite ambitious group of friends that I know won't let anything happen to him. But that isn't the only reason I called you here... I believe it is about time to make your existence known."

_**A/N: **__Duh duh duhhhhh… who could this mysterious person….(animal xD] be? Actually it is not all that hard to figure out buuuuuuuuut if you know who it is please refrain from saying so in the comments I want SOME people to be surprised xD Anywho I kinda wrote this one late last night so if there are lots of mistakes or something sounds weird please message me :) R&R lovies! :D_


	6. Chapter Five

_**A/N: **__Wow guys I am so sorry! I have been so busy lately. School's coming up and I still have a summer assignment I am in the process of finishing and now all my friends are getting back from vacation so they all wanna hang. I just have a lot of junk on my plate right now xD . Hopefully when school starts back up I will be able to update once a week, but I can't promise anything. Sucks I know :/ Anywho here's the new chapter! And warning I used my first curse word in this one… Don't worry it's not the F-bomb or anything like that xD. Anywho…read and reviews, lovies ! :D_

_Oh and sorry to all my reviewers of the previous chapter. I write both of my author's note after I finish writing the chapter and I just don't have time to get back to all of you right this minute unless I post-pone uploading this until tomorrow, but even then I don't know if I'll have time to. So thank you all that reviewed and I will make sure I get to each of your reviews first thing next chapter._

_XOXO _

_-Dani_

-Shen-

Shen tapped his feathers on the wooden table in annoyance. Shortly after the ship had reached the shore, half of the wolves had to conveniently to the nearby town to 'restock their supplies'. He scoffed at that. It was quite obvious where they were. Hell, Shen could've been blind and dumb and still known exactly what kind of town they were near. Even from his small quarters on his ship he could smell the stench of cheap liquor and hear the pounding of tasteless music. Whatever 'supplies' the wolves were looking for, it certainly wasn't for the ship.

Shen huffed and moved from the table to the small bed. It was clear that the storm would not let up for a while, so he figured he might as well make the most of the free time. He was just closing his eyes and sinking his eyes into the itchy pillow when a muffled bellow from below caused him to jump and fall face first out of the bed.

"That panda really has a death wish." He hissed swiftly charging towards the door and yanking it open. "Will somebody please shut up that blasted panda!" Shen waited a few moments and when the only reply was a clap of lightening he growled in impatience. "Well?" He screeched and it only took him a few more minutes of standing there before his eyes darkened. Everybody had left.

Giving a roar of pure rage, he dove into the rain darting as fast as he could to the door which led to Po.

Po, who had finally given into the whims of his growling stomach, yelled out again hoping that somebody would be merciful enough to give him something to eat. He quickly realized fate was not on his side when a dripping and furious Shen charging at him.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Shen seethed through gritted teeth.

Po hesitated, wondering how to put this so the peacock wouldn't chomp his head off. "Um… I was hungry?"

Shen stared at the panda for a good minute. Po blinked at him, and then blinked again. It appeared as though the peacock was frozen in place. Po looked from side to side nervously not quite sure what to make of this strange behavior. When Shen moved again, Po was sure he would lash out at him, but to his surprise, the peacock turned around and quietly fished into a large barrel on the far side of the room.

Po eyes widen as three bean buns were unceremoniously shoved into his mouth. He swallowed without complaint and returned his eyes to the retreating bird.

"You will be fed again in the morning, but if I hear so much as a peep from you until then," Shen stopped halfway up the steps and gave Po a vicious glare. "I will not hesitate to cut out that incessantly flapping tongue of yours."

With that cheerful statement, Shen disappeared out the door.

-Furious Five-

Rain that had once been drizzling lightly was now pounding viciously down on the faces of the Furious Five. They had been running for hours. Tigress was a good twenty yards ahead of the other four, and Crane knew this was as good a time as any to discuss things out rationally.

"I don't like this; we're going in blind." He said in a soft voice that even Tigress' sharp ears could not pick up from their distance.

"No kidding." Mantis huffed, squinting against the merciless downpour. "I'll be lucky if I'll be able to see a thing by the time this storm lets up."

Crane rolled his eyes at the insect. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Whatever."

"Crane's right." Monkey chimed in. "We're up against at least a dozen ships equipped with cannons and with no plan at all. I know we're all angry at Shen for what he did, but blind rage will get us nowhere."

Crane gave Monkey a surprised look. Monkey usually wasn't one for profound words or words really for that matter, but he was absolutely right. If they were going to have a sliver of chance at defeating Shen then they would have to keep a cool head about this and treat it like any other mission. He winced as he watched a poor tree sapling get mauled over by the hurried she-tiger ahead of them. Unfortunately, he didn't have much hope for Tigress keeping her calm once they reached the ships.

Viper, who had been silent the duration of the journey, was now also thinking about what Monkey had just said, and wondering if not Tigress but she herself would be able to face the monstrous peacock without losing herself to her anger. A couple hours ago when she still prided herself for believing that all life was sacred and everyone can redeem themselves, she would've scoffed at the idea that she was capable of containing so much hatred for another living creature and was actually considering acting on that hate. But that was before she learned of a certain peacock's actions towards her beloved friend. She didn't want to hate Shen. People like Tai Lung gave into their hate and he might as well have been the poster boy for evil. She shuddered. She wouldn't let herself wouldn't let herself get that bent up in this hatred. She couldn't.

Crane gave Viper a sidelong glance. He could see she was having some internal struggle and opened his beak to speak, but snapped it shut when he realized he lacked to proper words to comfort her. Instead he cleared his throat and spoke to the entire trio. "So it's settled then. From now on we will not focus on anything besides the mission ahead agreed?"

Mantis gave a quick 'agreed' and Monkey let out and affirmative grunt. Viper however stayed silent and Crane eyed her wearily. "Viper…"

"Focus on the mission. Got it."

Sensing the tension in the air, Mantis quickly spoke. "Let's hurry and get that big fur ball back! I have a whole new batch of bean buns and wanna see if he can make it to forty-five."

Crane gave a tired chuckle and Monkey was about to let out an approving 'whoop', but soon found himself face first in stripped, matted fur.

Quickly picking himself up, he stuck out his tongue revealing that his mouth had indeed been open during the impact. "'Ey wot was t'at for, Ti'ress?" He asked, pulling tufts of hair off of his tongue.

Tigress' left ear twitched back towards the dark thicket of forest before she replied in a hushed voice. "We're being followed."

_**A/N: **__In case you couldn't catch on to my hints, Shen's ships landed at a *ahem* gentlemen's clubamplified to where it's the whole city xD. Not exactly the most kid-friendly topic, but don't worry I won't mention anything explicit and it does fit into the plot I have in mind. Anyways sorry if there are mistakes this chapter was a bit rushed ;P Anywho R&R!_


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